All About Rangoli

      The Indian art of "Rangoli" has its origin in the distant past. "Making elaborate designs in the medium of coloured powder is Rangoli Painting". It is know by different names in different parts of India. Traditionally, Rangoli is drawn usually in front of the house - doorway and around a holy plant TULSI on holy occasions and festivals. “Deepawali” which is known as Festival of Lights and is also called “ Diwali “, is one such occasion.

       It is customary for Indian women to draw decorated feet of Laxmi – The Godess of weath, approaching her door bringing in good fortune for her devote family.

visitors waiting for entry in
the exhibition hall at Kirti Mandir
       During the last 50 years or so, Rangoli has emerged as a full fledged 3-dimentional art form. The Rangoli designs over the years have not just been decorative and involved, but the Rangoli Artists now makes contemporary type Rangoli pictures with live effects. What once began as geometrical religious symbolism, has thus blossomed into a delightful visual art with secular esthetic appeal.

More Information....
Making Rangoli Picture

artists at work
         Different kinds of material are used to create Rangoli designs, such as grains, lentiles, flowers, rice flour, coloured powder etc. To make contemporary type Rangoli pictures, specially processed dry coloured powder is used and it is available in more than 22 different colours and colour shades. While working on a rangoli picture, many of these are blended to get required shades.

         Rangoli pictures are usually made in 6ft. X 4ft. or 4ft. X 3ft. size as required. They are made on hardboard or ply sheet. A sketch is drawn on a board from a referance picture. After that "Rangoli colours are filled-in using fingers only and no other instrument is used". The artists are so skilled with their fingers that they can creat figures of deities, celebrities, world or war heros, landscapes, seascapes, still-life so beautifully and live that one could hardly believe it being made out of sand like powder by sitting for hours together in back breaking position. The colours are overlaped to achieve desired shading and result. Once the rangoli colours are filled-in, that part can not be touched. Touching spoils the grace and originality of picture. "Intense concentration and control on fingers is absolutely essential". It takes around 60 to 70 hours to make one rangoli picrure of 6ft. X 4ft. size. Usually, 14 to 15 rangoli pictures are made in each exhibition. To accomodate these many pictures, a hall is required. The hall needs to be closed to stop incoming wind and should be able to protect the work from elements while work is on. The main material for making rangoli picture includes hard boards / ply sheet, Rangoli colours, glass marking penciles etc. The pictures are required to be made at the venue itself. Once they are made, it is not advisable to move them from one place to another. Pictures are to be laid down on the floor all the times while working on it and after its completion they can be put very carefully on special stands in slanting position to get a better view.. Work for pictures of an exhibition starts 5 - 6 days prior to the date of exhibition.
Oh....!

      Once the exhibition is over, the boards are lifted one by one and all the rangoli powder comes down on the floor. It takes only 5 to 6 seconds to wipe out Rangoli picture and around 70 hours of back-breaking hard work. At the end.. you think, "there was a beautiful rangoli art work few seconds before, now all you see is.. a heap of dust.. and nothing else"..!! Unfortunately, the Rangoli pictures cannot be preserved in its original form, how beautiful, realistic and appealing to the heart they may be..!
rangoli picture..
and its removal
Ambition
        The art of RANGOLI, is unique and is part of ancient Indian culture. Rangoli medium is not known in other countries. We wish to exhibit this art in different countries around the world, so as to enable art lovers to see and know one of the most beautiful mediums of ancient Indian art. We wish that maximum people should see this unique art form and believe - why Indian art culture is belived to be among most liked cultures in the word.

visitors watching
rangoli exhibition
 
“Rangoli”- The art of painting designs in front of homes during festival.

       
        “Rangoli is one of the most popular art among Indian women, which is mainly drawn and painted in front of their houses using different colour powders and shades of colour powder. This art can be seen predominantly in the Maharashtra state and Gujarat state of India on all religious occasions and particularly during the “Deepawali” or “Diwali” as popularly known as “Festival of Lights” which falls during October – November. Rangolies are made to welcome “Laxmi”, the Goddess of wealth. It is also seen during the Tamil month of MAARKAZHI in Tamil Nadu state of India. The Maarkazi month falls between December 15th and January 15th. According to the Hindu mythology, during this month the Goddess ANDAL prayed to the Lord TIRUMALA to marry her. It was said that her wish came true. So this month is said to be an auspicious for unmarried girls to pray to god to have a spouse of their dream. During this month unmarried girls arise before the sunrise to draw – paint beautiful Rangolies to welcome the Lord Tirumala and they sing TIRUPPAVAI, praises of the Lord THIRUMAL which was said to have been sung by Goddess ANDAL.

       Following are some samples of traditional Rangoli designs.

“RANGOLI – The painted prayers of India”
        Rangoli is a traditional art of decorating courtyards and wards of Indian houses, places of worship and sometimes exhibitions halls, eating places and inauguration ceremonies as well. The powder of white stone – marble, lime, rice flour and other loose paste is used to draw intricate and ritual designs. Each state of India has its own way of painting Rangoli. One characteristic of Rangoli is that it is painted by commoners and the artists. On some special occasions it is painted in every home with or without formal training in Rangoli art. The art is typically transformed from generation to generation and from friend to friend.

        The artists use their bare fingers to create various designs from sandstone powder or grains flour, sometimes colours are used in addition to flour paste. Some women and artists are so skilled with their fingers that they can create figures of deities, celebrities, world or war heroes, landscapes, seascapes, so live and beautifully that one could hardly believe it being made out of stone powder by sitting for hours together in back breaking position. But the most unfortunate thing about the art is, it is turned in to a heap of dust in seconds on lifting the base boards..!

        In the evenings of festive occasions when the oil lamps are lit during “Deepawali” or “Festival of Lights” and the atmosphere is cool and pleasant, such Rangoli drawings and paintings create the atmosphere of a well planned “Devine” surrounding. The Indian women and artists believe that the Gods are fond of cleanliness and things of beauty and this is one of the household art meant for propitiating deities.

THE TRADITION OF “RANGOLI”

         Rangoli is a an Indian traditional - folk art, generally created on a floor on special festive occasions. The origin of this art can be traced to the “PURANAS” (works on hindu mythology). Rangoli means a row of colours. The tradition of Rangoli originated in Maharashtra state and slowly disseminated to other parts of India.

ORIGIN
          Rangoli also known as Kolam in southern India, Chowkpurana in northern India, Mandana in Rajasthan, Aripana in Bihar, Alpana in Bengal. It is the ancient hindu religious floor art. According to a legend recorded in Chitra Lakshana, the earliest treatise on Indian painting, a King and his kingdom were steeped in sorrow at the death of the high priest’s son. Everyday he prayed to the Lord Brahma who moved by the prayer and asked the king to paint a portrait of the body on the floor so that he could breathe life in to it. And with that the art of floor painting came to life; and that is how the stone powder, rice four and flowers were transformed in to picturesque offerings to God in the form of floor painting.
CREATIVE EXPRESSION

         “Rangoli” is a Sanskrit word which means a creative expression of art through the use of colours. In ancient India, Rangolies were used to decorate the entrances of homes, a floor painting which provided a warm and colourful welcome to visitors. In Indian cultures, all guests and visitors occupy a very special place, and a Rangoli is an expression of warm hospitality. In particular, Diwali – the Festival of Lights – is widely celebrated with Rangolies, since at this time, people visit each others homes to exchange greetings and sweets.

         In a Rangoli, powdered colours are sprinkled on cleaned and dusted floor or hard boards with fingers to form decorations – Rangolies can be vivid, three dimensional, plain, yet as beautiful as two dimensional designs. The coloured powder is usually applied ‘free hand’ by letting it run from the gap formed by pinching the thumb and the forefinger.

         In ancient times, Rangolies were actual decorations, made on the entrances and walls of houses to brighten up and add colour to occasions being celebrated; like weddings, births and significant religious days. They also signified a warm welcome for visitors. In fact in Maharashtra state Indian housewives make them each morning. The designs would be simple and geometrical but could invoke symbolic forms. Oil lamps (diyas) would be placed in Rangoli to give it yet another dimension.

           Thus, reflecting regional beliefs and aesthetics based on a common spiritual beliefs, the art of floor painting is one which has survived all influences and retained and transmitted the spirit of Indian life.